So excited to be releasing a new instrumental CD album. For many years people have been asking me to make one and here it is finally! Last year I talked with a friend of mine that plays the piano very well and mentioned the possibility of doing an instrumental album together. At first we just talked about it, but finally after some time we decided to do the recording and this past December began recording. It’s all improvised music that we played at the same time, so that things I played on the violin influenced what the piano played and what Kyle played on the piano influenced the violin in the improvisation. We’re already planning to do another album in the future!

“Bow & Ivory: Streams” is a spontaneous instrumental duo of piano and violin recorded improvisationally by Kyle Barr and Sebastian Angulo. As you listen to this album, let the melodies and sounds flow over you to refresh and strengthen you!

The Lord has been doing powerful things in my life and through my ministry this past year. I have witnessed the moving of the Holy Spirit to bring physical healing and emotional healing, to restore relationships and families, and to set the captives free. I have experienced this in the US and in other nations. I want to take a moment to share with you about some of these different experiences and am including two videos in which I also share some of the story for those who would prefer to view the videos! In brief, I have been blessed to live in Northern Iraq for 3 months in the beginning of the year serving refugees and local believers, I traveled to Italy in the summer to minister to a wonderful group of Charismatic Catholic, and have had the opportunity to minister to many in the United States. I will give more detail to these experiences in the rest of this newsletter!

Time in Iraq!

As I mentioned and as you may know, I had the opportunity to go to N. Iraq with students from our Missions and Prayer School (MAPS) at the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace (FPF). I have served at FPF since 2009 and currently continue to serve there full-time leading and teaching at MAPS. MAPS is a 2 year school where we train students theologically and practically to serve the purposes of God in the unreached nations of the world (Matthew 24:14). Part of the 2 years of training include actually going to an unreached nation and serving there for 90 days during the 4th semester. I went this year co-leading a group of the 4th semester students along with Leah, another leader at MAPS. Our experience in N. Iraq was unforgettable as the Lord connected us with amazing new friendships and used us to bless so many people’s lives. We witnessed healing occurring regularly through our ministry in different refugee camps and as a result different people decided to surrender their lives to the Lordship of Jesus! There was one spontaneous gathering I got to be a part of when we ministered in a tent of 4 refugees. We started out with these 4 refugees but God began to manifest His healing power. As people were getting healed the numbers in the tent began to grow and people were coming into the tent pointing to where they needed healing. There were about 16-18 people in addition to the 4 we started with when I had the opportunity to share the Gospel! The wonderful thing is that this is just one of the many testimonies of what we got to witness as God brought hope to those that had none.

Our team also participated in the important ministry of worship and intercession at a prayer room in the city. We dedicated 20 hours each week to worship and prayer and were able to witness the answers to our prayers!

Time in Italy!

My time in Italy was much shorter than in Iraq and yet the Lord did so much in those 6-7 days. Every day I had the opportunity to minister to individuals and groups as the Lord opened the door. My mom came with me on this trip and one day as we were walking with a couple in downtown Bari they commented about how the husband had some hip problems. I prayed for the man and he was healed. That evening at a worship gathering he shared what the Lord had done for him and many others experienced healing as well! I also had the opportunity to do some sightseeing while I was there which was nice though for me the greater joy was to see the power of God at work in people’s lives! Nothing wrong with vacation, I’m just saying that for me a good vacation is experiencing the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. I had gone to Bari, Italy to minister at a retreat and finally the weekend came for the retreat. The first day went well and I shared about the value of intimacy with God through worship and prayer, communion with God. The following day I shared about the 9 gifts/manifestations of the Holy Spirit that are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 starting in verse 7. After sharing on the gifts we took a break for lunch because of the time and followed lunch with a time of prayer for impartation of the Holy Spirit. It was an amazing time as many of the group were young believers, some of them no more than a year of walking with the Lord, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Many of them could not remain standing as the Holy Spirit would pour upon them. There were many more powerful moments in that retreat though I will highlight one more moment here. The last morning of the retreat I shared about God the Father. During this session I shared many keys to freedom as we know the truth about who God is. Many people experienced deep soul healing as truth shone in their hearts. We even witnessed families and leaders being reconciled as the Lord was doing a powerful work of healing. That moment was more than what I could have imagined or that I can presently express in this newsletter. I felt so blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of such a deep work that God did in that community.

West Virginia!

I had the privilege of ministering at Clarksburg House of Prayer in West Virginia in the middle of July. I am still hearing testimonies of what God did during these 3 days of ministry. I preached Friday and Saturday night and on Sunday morning. On Friday night I got a word of knowledge from the Lord and knew that God wanted to heal someone’s right shoulder. It turned out that the woman whose family was hosting me was there that night and she needed healing. I briefly prayed for her right shoulder and as she moved her shoulder she heard a crunching noise that she had never heard before and did not hear again. I found out later that the pain that she had had constantly for 10 years was gone. That night she slept lying on that right shoulder which would have been very difficult to sleep because of the pain, and woke up with no pain or swelling in her arm. Throughout the day the next day she was being surprised as she was finding herself doing what she had been unable to do for 10 years! I felt very welcomed and like I was among family in my time in West Virginia. A man that I had not met before gave me 4 books that were all on a particular topic. The cool thing is that day before I had decided that I would buy some books on that very topic. And much more happened!!!

Marked Teen Camp!

It’s hard to keep these stories short as they are packed with testimonies of God’s working in people’s lives! In short, the Marked Teen Camp is a camp that our youth ministry at FPF has been doing for the past 5 years. Each year it is very powerful and this year was exceedingly abundantly above what we imagined in many ways. Many young people turned their lives back to God. There were several times where the Holy Spirit poured out on the young people and on anyone that got around what He was doing. On one of these occasions, for 2.5 to 3 hours young people were on the floor crying out to God for their generation and experiencing the power of God coming on them. They were 2 hours late to lunch, that’s how you know that they were experiencing the higher pleasure of knowing God! One morning I taught on healing and before we laid hands on any person several youth had already experienced healing! The youth prayed for one another and they were used by God powerfully to heal each other. What I have shared here does not do justice to all that the Lord did during this camp but this will have to be all for now. I’ll share a video here that recaps some of the experiences at the camp.

Conclusion

I have so much more to share about Iraq, Italy, West Virginia, Marked and many other experiences but am trying to keep this newsletter shorter. If you would like to know more let me know! If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter or watching the update videos! Future newsletters should be more frequent and therefore not be as long. I also want to let you know that I am currently looking for people, groups, churches, etc. that would partner with me in prayer and finances for me to be able to continue to do the work that God has called me to. As a full-time missionary at FPF I am responsible to raise my own support for my monthly needs. Would you prayerfully consider if you are to be a part of what God is doing through my ministry, whether through committed prayer support or financial giving. Thanks again for your time!

Please keep me in your prayers as I will be ministering to college students in Georgetown, Kentucky on August 22-23 at an event called “Taste and See.” Also as we are starting our Fall semester for MAPS on August 20th! I’d like to conclude with a prayer for any who need healing.

“Father, I thank you that You love to heal! I ask in the Name of Jesus that now You would manifest Your healing power in those who read this prayer! Remove pain, discomfort, stress and strain from their bodies and let them experience Your peace. Bodies, be healed in Jesus Name! Amen!”

This past Sunday morning I shared from John chapter 10 verse 10. As my dad was getting into the car to head to DC with me Sunday morning he asked, “What time is it? My watch says 10:10 AM.” The actual time was 9:30 AM but my dad’s watch had a dead battery and was stuck on 10:10 AM. I knew in that moment that God was speaking to me about John 10:10! I sensed that the Father was asking us “What time is it?” And He was giving us the response, “It’s John 10:10.” The enemy has stolen, killed, and destroyed all over the earth and even in our lives and families. But the Son of God, Jesus, has come that we may have life and have it abundantly! It’s time to see the salvation of the Lord! It’s time to see the ministry of Jesus at work in our lives that destroys the works of the evil one! Jesus is still at work today, and will work through His people, the church, to destroy the works of darkness. Sickness, death, depression and fear, broken families and hunger, these are all works of darkness and it’s John 10:10 time! Let’s believe God’s Word and take a hold of His promises.

Let’s pray this prayer to the Lord: “Father, I thank You that You work all things for the good of those who love You! I declare that it is time for the works of the evil one against me, my family, and my community to be destroyed by the power of the Blood of Jesus! I declare healing over my body and over my family in Jesus! Name!”

I praise God for what He is going to do in your life! “Jesus, I thank you for the breakthrough! I ask that you will continue to make Your name great in our lives and in the nations of the earth!”

What an amazing summer so far and how exciting it is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ! This summer I have had the opportunity to minister to and interact with people in several different continents and that spoke several different languages. I had the opportunity to speak and listen to Spanish, Amharic (language in Ethiopia), Turkish, Hebrew, Arabic (also to read Arabic), and French. I love languages so that was a highlight of my trips!! I will share briefly about each trip to give an update of this summer!

Puerto Rico!

I was blessed again to visit Puerto Rico in June this summer to minister at a worship retreat as well as to able to see and minister to my family! At the retreat the Lord did many wonderful things and I had the opportunity to learn a dance choreography that I participated in at the church on Sunday morning. Part of my role at the retreat included teaching several workshops, playing the violin, and leading in prayer & worship at times. I had a main session during the retreat where I had the opportunity to share a message with everyone at the retreat based on the theme of the retreat – “Jesus be the Center!” After briefly sharing what the Lord had put on my heart, that we are to live in secret for His eyes to see (Matthew 6:4,6,18), I felt that the Lord wanted to release healing. After praying over those gathered at the retreat in general for healing several people testified of what the Lord did. One lady shared that while I prayed on the microphone for healing she felt someone blow into her ear, she opened her eyes and looked to see who was doing that thinking they were doing a prank but saw no one there. She realized then that the pain that she had from an ear infection was completely gone!!! Another lady testified that she had been healed of a migraine headache in a moment! A young woman shared that the Lord had healed her knee which had been in pain so that she could not bend it. After being healed by the Lord she was able to bend her knee completely without any pain!!! These and many others had been healed without anyone specifically praying for them. God is Good! I also had the opportunity to minister to a youth group on 2 different occasions while I was in PR. One of those times, as I taught about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I shared a word of knowledge that God wanted to heal someones shoulder area. Of the 12 or so youth there not one signaled to me that it was them that had the shoulder pain, but as I prayed for all the youth afterward the one who had the pain was healed. He shared at the end that while I prayed for him the pain on his shoulder area went away!!! The way that God moved and healed on that trip at the retreat was refreshing to me, I feel so blessed to have been there to witness the power of God and to be strengthened in my faith!

Ethiopia!

You can read in some of my previous updates and posts the story of how God initiated my trips and connection in Ethiopia. Last year for the first time I went to Ethiopia and this year I went for the second time. I was blessed to go with a good friend and partner in the ministry, Ronnette Cooper. Ronnette has been a leader at the Prayer Furnace and in the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace community from before the launch of the House of Prayer in 2009. In Ethiopia we partnered with another friend of mine, Pastor Abel Araya, and an amazing group of leaders from his youth group. I had several opportunities to preach and to minister at different churches, at an orphanage, and in public places in Ethiopia. One of my most significant encounter’s while in Ethiopia happened on the third day I was there as I would be preaching and ministering at a church. The night before I woke up at 2am and could not fall back asleep for 3 hours because of jet lag. At one point I felt my wrist crack and pop violently. After a second I knew that it was not my own wrist but something in the spirit that I felt physically. I figured it must be a word of knowledge for the service that morning and proceeded to gather more details about the word. This is what I wrote so that I would not forget and also as evidence: “Left wrist pops. Lady in left side sitting on center isle towards the back.” I had never been to that church before and most churches I had been in in Ethiopia were different from one another. But I knew that the church had two sections of seats and that this lady would be sitting on the section to my left along the center isle. After I preached Ronnette shared and when she finished the message, the pastor of the church gave me the opportunity to share the word I had received. In the left section, on the back along the center isle were the ends of 5-7 rows of chairs, so that really only a 5-7 spots would qualify with the word I had received. I felt a bit of a risk in giving the word because if no one responded it could jeopardize the rest of our ministry time. I would not be a 100% sure that I had the word accurate until I said and saw the results. But I took the risk and sure enough among those last 7 or so rows along the center isle was sitting a lady who fit the description and responded to receive healing for her left wrist. After praying for her, she received a partial manifestation of healing in that moment and we prayed for many others who were instantly healed of diverse ailments! I was so glad that the word was right on and it is one of the more detailed and accurate words that I have received and given in front of so many. Praise the Lord! I know He will do greater things than this!!!

Israel!

The time in Israel was a great blessing. A team from the Prayer Furnace was there already when Ronnette and I arrived. We had the opportunity to minister to both Jewish and Arab believers! It was amazing to see believers from those backgrounds gathering together to worship Jesus! There were several locations that we went to where Jesus may have walked and where significant events will take place in the future. One highlight of the trip was getting to play the violin in the tomb at the Garden Tomb. Some believe this tomb to be the one where Jesus was buried. Whether it is or not the garden has a very peaceful atmosphere and it is a good picture of what it would have been like! We also went to Jerusalem and prayed at the Western (Wailing) Wall. We stumbled upon King David’s tomb as we were on our way to visit a place traditionally believed to be the Upper Room where the disciples would gather and where Jesus ate the Passover meal (Last Supper) with His disciples. Got to experience the Dead Sea and found out that Sodom and Gomorrah bordered the Dead Sea. I found it interesting that Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back disobediently on the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. I wonder if the material used to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah has affected the content of the Dead Sea? I was blessed again to be in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and for the first time I got to visit Jesus’ hometown – Nazareth!!! In Nazareth we met with local Arab believers and had a wonderful time of worship and ministry! There have been some threats on Arab believers by some Muslims in Israel because of their faith in Jesus. Let’s pray for God’s protection over these precious believers and for God to give them strength for the coming days, that they would shine in dark places and that their persecutors will encounter Jesus! Father, Look on their threats and grant to Your servants boldness to preach Your word as You stretch out Your hand to heal and signs and wonders are performed through the Name of Your Holy Servant Jesus! In Jesus Name!

Back in the US!

I want to also briefly share some victories back home to the Glory of God!!! I had the opportunity to teach on prophecy at a training in Dumfries, VA with a ministry called, Crisis Response International. They train believers to respond in times of crisis and to minister to those affected by natural disasters, wars, and more. They have already sent several teams to minister in Nepal and Iraq in the past year. At the training I taught 5 groups that rotated, each group for about 45 minutes with a 15 minute break between each group. Healing broke out among 2-3 of the groups! Once as I taught about the manifestation of the word of knowledge (1 Cor. 12:7), I received a word of knowledge that someone in the group of about 20 or so needed healing in their left ear. A lady responded to the word of knowledge and I asked a young man (about 15 years old) to pray for her. She could only hear 25% from her left ear. After praying several times the lady’s hearing improved to over 60%. Later that day the lady came to me and shared that her hearing ability in her left ear was up to 90%!!! God is Good!

Thank you for taking the time to read this update! I hope you were blessed by it!!!

During our recent conference, Awaken the Dawn, at the Prayer Furnace I taught a breakout session that I titled “Manifestations of the King and His Kingdom” I have been so excited about what God has been showing me in His Word lately and really enjoyed getting to share the Gospel of the Kingdom during the breakout. As a result, “the gospel is the power of God” (Romans 1:16), many were healed and several miracles took place! Here is a video testifying of one of the miracles that we witnessed that day!

A reality in friendship and partnership with God that is not so exciting to think about but definitely very real, is suffering. All throughout the Scriptures we witness the lives of men and women who experienced deep friendship with God. When we examine their lives, we will find that most of them suffered. Intimacy with God is not a fairytale, but it is a love story! David, Daniel, Abel, Noah, most of the apostles, and many more: all of these suffered for the sake of Christ. Jesus himself suffered for us. He said, if they persecuted me they will persecute you.

It is important that we are aware of this reality, and that we count the cost. It was through these trials that the Lord prepared His people for mighty exploits, and great authority! Those who entrusted their lives to the Lord in the midst of their suffering, Were the ones who were entrusted with great authority and finished their race well. The Bible says about David that he fulfilled the purposes of God in his generation! (Acts 13:36). And that came with much suffering involved.

There is actually a fellowship in the sufferings of Jesus Christ! And the great news is that, just as there is fellowship in his suffering, there is also great fellowship in His joy that follows! I want to weep when the Lord weeps, I want to laugh when he laughs, and I know that when I suffer for his name, he weeps with me. “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10).

The good news does not promise that there will be no troubles, in fact Jesus tells his disciples to expect tribulation, but the good news does promise fellowship with God who will comfort us in our troubles and greatly reward us when we follow Him. He will give us the strength to face the trials and to have victory in the midst of them.

We don’t have to look for suffering in order to fellowship with Christ. I do not desire suffering, or look for it. But if we are going to take up our cross daily to follow Jesus we know that we will face it soon enough. When God called the Apostle Paul into the ministry he sent out Ananias with a prophetic word for him. Acts 9:15, “But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”

Hebrews 10:32, “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barack, Sampson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, Who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouth of lions, quenched if fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; who’s weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them!”

John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”